The June meeting was held in the comfort of the Men’s Shed with President Marg Dent welcoming 29 members, with apologies from 11 members.

Minutes and reports were read with Bev Gerdes thanked for fill­ing the role of Head Steward for the Flower section for the Forbes Show. It was good to hear Pammie Thomson is out of hospital and recovering with family.

Our guest speaker was Kate Nixon from Macrocarpa Land­scapes She last spoke to us as a gardener from Forbes Council on her designing of the native garden at the Tourist Information Centre. She has now started her own business specialising in na­tives. Her knowledge of natives is inspiring and how they can be easily propagated.

It was noted that with all the frosty weather the natives planted at the Information Centre are doing well and she has suggested to Council that several working bees take place each year with volun­teers. Kate had brought many specimens along which are native to our area all with botanical names! Marg Swift thanked her for her talk and presented her with a gift.

Marion Murray was the lucky raffle winner and the flower of the month saw many entries but resulted in first Noel Hocking a Chry­santhemum, second Max Swift a Camellia and third Lee Sander­son an Iris.

The next meeting will be held at the Men’s Shed on Tuesday 22 July at 2pm, all welcome. Please bring along a flower of the month and a cup Our guest speaker is Jo Henley of Henleys Rustics Gar­den Beds. All welcome

By Green Thumb

This Diabetes Week, we’re encouraging everyone living with diabetes to prioritise their eye health.

Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when there is too much glucose in the blood.

This happens because the body is not pro­ducing insulin or not using insulin properly.

Type 1 Diabetes occurs when the pan­creas no longer produces insulin. This is one of the most common chronic childhood diseases in developed nations and requires insulin therapy.

Type 2 Diabetes occurs when the pan­creas is not producing enough insulin or the insulin is not working effectively. Risk fac­tors for type 2 include; family history, being overweight. Type 2 diabetes represents 8595% of all cases, it is managed with lifestyle adjustments, and /or medication.

Diabetes can silently damage the small blood vessels in your eyes, leading to seri­ous conditions and permanent vision loss.

A big dilemma that we face is that these changes often occur without any obvious symptoms in the early stages.

That’s why regular, comprehensive eye checks are so important. Early detection is your best defence.

At Hansens Eyecare Plus Parkes, we use the latest imaging technology to thor­oughly examine the retina and detect even the smallest signs of diabetic eye disease.

Our advanced equipment—like OCT scans, help us to spot issues long before they af­fect your vision.

We take the time to check your eyes prop­erly and explain everything clearly, so you feel informed and confident about your care.

If you have diabetes, don’t put off your eye exam. It could help preserve your vision for years to come. Book your diabetic eye check with us today.

Children and young people across Aus­tralia who cannot live with their families ur­gently need foster carers. If you think you could give a child or young person a safe, nurturing place in your home, temporarily or permanently, read on.

What is foster care? Foster care provides a stable, caring environment for children and young people when they cannot live with their own families. This may be due to abuse or neglect, or a family crisis such as illness or homelessness.

Foster care is not necessarily permanent and long-term. We need a range of carers to provide interim or restoration care, emer­gency or short-term care and respite care.

Each child has a dedicated Case Man­ager and, often, a clinician. These people support the child’s placement and longterm goals, and support you regarding the child’s individual needs.

Make a lifelong difference in the life of a child or young person. Lifestyle Solutions urgently needs all types of foster carers across Australia.

If you think you could become a foster carer, please get in touch for a confiden­tial discussion and more information. Call on 1800 634 748 or visit www.lifestylesolu­tions.org.au

The May meeting of the Forbes Garden Club was held at the home of Mel and Anita Sinclair with 27 members and 6 apologies.

President Marg Dent welcomed all, and introduced the guest speaker Stephen Todd. Stephen spoke about a new local business – Southern Cross Nutrients that manufacture granules to add to broadacre farming fertilizer to boost production. The granules are made from green bin compost and will aid in the way of reducing green waste to landfill. Stephen also had samples for the Garden Club members in attend­ance. Michelle Mahlo thanked Stephen for his interesting talk.

Claire Haley spoke on the recent and very successful bus outing that saw 29 members and friends enjoy a day visiting the Olive Grove and lunch at the Bogan Gate Hotel followed by visits to three dif­ferent gardens at Parkes. A big thank you to Denise Thurston for organising the day.

Mel gave a short talk on his garden which was planted during the Covid years and enabled him plenty of time to establish Roses, Agapanthus, Manchurian Pear and a Fig tree all only five years ago. Elvy Quirk thanked the hosts for making their home available and presented them with a small gift.

The Flower of the Month winner was first Denise Thurston (Amaranthus), second John Browne (Hakea) and third Noel Hock­ing (Chrysanthemum). The raffle was won by Evelyn Mahlo.

The next meeting will take place at the Men’s Shed on Tuesday 24 June at 2pm and the guest speaker will be Kate Nixon who will be speaking about using natives in the garden. Everyone is welcome to at­tend the next meeting, we hope to see you all there in a warm and cosy room. Please make sure to bring along a cup and chair.

Enquiries can be made by calling 0428 540 272 or by emailing forbesgardenclub@gmail.com

By Green Thumb